Neil Allen

Ian Foster believes Pompey’s troops are coming to terms with the new playing system after impressing in a 5-0 victory over Burnham.

The first-team coach took charge of a Pompey XI at The Gore last night for the club’s final pre-season friendly.

Pompey first-team coach Ian Foster Picture: Joe Pepler

The fixture would see Adam McGurk, Jayden Stockley, Brandon Joseph-Buadi and substitutes Adam May and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain all get on the scoresheet.

Watching from the stands was boss Paul Cook as the mixture of first-team squad members and Academy players ran out comfortable winners against the non-leaguers.

And Foster was delighted with not only the result, but the manner of their performance in Buckinghamshire.

He said: ‘We spoke to the players before the game and sometimes you are on a hiding to nothing going to places like Burnham, with all due respect.

What we asked for was energy, penetration, work ethic and the intelligence to play in our structure – and we got all of that and more

Pompey first-team coach Ian Foster

‘We are expected to win and if you don’t, everyone is coming after you.

‘What we asked for was energy, penetration, work ethic and the intelligence to play in our structure – and we got all of that and more.

‘I am delighted for the younger players, they showed such a great appetite for the game on a difficult playing surface. The start at both halves were pretty tricky but I thought we were excellent.

‘All of them are learning how we want them to play, learning the structure of the team and the mechanics of the team – we have put an awful lot of tactical sessions into them of late and everything the manager preaches they did to a T.